Bear Rank and Requirements

Hi! I’am Baa-loo (BALOO), the Bear Cub Scout Mascot.

When the boy is in the third grade or 9 (or as soon as he completes the Bobcat requirements if he joins at this age), he begins work toward the Bear rank. When he has completed 12 of the 24 achievements and has been awarded the badge, he may work on the 24 electives in the Bear Cub Scout Book to earn arrow points as he did for Wolf. These arrow points are worn below his Bear badge. In addition, he may earn elective credits by completing requirements for the 12 achievements not used to earn the Bear badge. All requirements for both the Bear achievements and electives are found in the Bear Cub Scout Book. As with the Wolf rank, completion of the requirements is approved by the boy’s parents.

To earn the Bear Badge, a Cub Scout must complete 12 achievements out of a possible 24 that are offered in the book. The achievements are grouped in 4 major areas, GOD, COUNTRY, FAMILY, and SELF. Within each group, a required number of achievements must be completed, as indicated below. Also, any achievements that they do NOT use to earn the Bear Badge may be used to earn Arrow Points.

(Note that these achievements, as were the Wolf activities, are primarily done at home and signed off by an adult family member after the boy has completed each one. The book is then shown to the Den Leader who records the progress and also signs the boy’s book.)

Remeber to always refer to the most current published copy of the Bear Handbook for all requirements.

The Bear Achievements are as follows:

If the Cub Scout has not previously earned the Bobcat Badge, it must be earned first.

ACHIEVEMENTS

* GOD (Do ONE of the following)
1. Ways We Worship
2. Emblems of Faith
* COUNTRY (Do THREE of the following)
3. What Makes America Special?
4. Tall Tales
5. Sharing Your World With Wildlife
6. Take Care of Your Planet
7. Law Enforcement is a Big Job
* FAMILY (Do FOUR of the following)
8. The Past is Exciting and Important
9. What’s Cooking?
10. Family Fun
11. Be ready!
12. Family Outdoor Adventure
13. Saving Well, Spending Well
* SELF (Do FOUR of the following)
14. Ride Right
15. Games, Games, Games!
16. Building Muscles
17. Information Please
18. Jot it Down
19. Shavings and Chips
20. Sawdust and Nails
21. Build a Model
22. Tying it All Up
23. Sports, Sports, Sports
24. Be a Leader

– – – – – GOD (Do either requirement 1 or 2)

FOR BEARS ONLY!

There are slight differences between the Wolf and Bear Arrow Points rules. In the Bear program, achievement requirements now follow the same rules as the elective requirements. Each one is a separate project. The achievements sometimes require completion of an elective to satisfy a particular requirement. As such, after completing all of his achievements a Bear Cub can go back to his electives and use any requirement he did not count toward his Bear badge. Remember these important rules:

* A Bear can mix requirements from electives and unused achievements in any way to get the ten he needs for each Arrow Point.

* He may earn Arrow Points from the Bear Cub Scout Book until he becomes a WEBELOS Scout.

* He may work on these electives all through his Bear year, but he cannot receive Arrow Points until he has earned the Bear badge.

* Any achievement requirement that he has completed to earn his Bear badge cannot be used again to earn Arrow Points, but there are many more to choose from.